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Friday, June 30, 2006

HIV has found its place among the ‘straight’

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: HIV can no longer be referred to as a "gay disease" or a disease that involves injecting drug users as it has found its place among "straight" men and women.A total of 1,218 heterosexuals were infected with the virus in 2002. This increased to 1,307 the following year. In 2004, the number dropped to 1,271 but is on the rise again.The number of homosexuals and bisexuals who became HIV-positive in 2002 was 51, rising to 151 the following year and to 222 in 2004. The 2004 report by the Ministry of Health’s AIDS/STD section said there had been a steady increase in the reported number of cases among homosexuals and bisexuals since 2000. Cases were concentrated in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.An infectious diseases expert said: "The gap is narrowing between the number of homosexuals and heterosexuals becoming infected with HIV."